Successfully managing a small business is no easy task.

And try as you might, even when it seems as though you’ve turned a corner and your business is beginning to grow, one of the challenges that you know instinctively isn’t going away is your cybersecurity.

It’s understandable. At a time when the sophistication of a cyberattack is advancing as rapidly as the technologies we’ve come to rely on, it can be overwhelming

Because of that, you tell yourself that you’ll “get to it”, or you think that regardless of whatever it is you believe that the solution is, it costs too much, right? Or perhaps, you decide that you “don’t need anything” because your business is too small and that the cybercriminals won’t spend their time coming after you.

The fact is, we’ve reached a point in our society where it’s accurate to say that it’s no longer “if” we’re going to be hit with cyberattack or incident, but “when”. In 2024, fully 43 percent of all cyberattacks targeted small businesses and the total cost of cybercrime had surpassed $160 million.

Fortunately, if you’re one of the more than 534,000 small businesses in Indiana, there is help available – that’s free – that can help guide you when it comes to making sure that cybersecurity is a vital part of your business plan.

Around the country – including here in the Hoosier State – March 19^th is National Small Business Development Centers Day. Established in 2017, SBDC Day celebrates the power of small businesses and is dedicated to fostering local economic growth and help entrepreneurs launch, manage, and grow their businesses.

As part of that network, the Indiana Small Business Development Center is housed within the Indiana Economic Development Corporation and it helps small businesses start, grow, finance, innovate, and transition through no-cost, confidential business advising and training. Established in 1985, the Indiana SBDC has worked with more than 50,000 entrepreneurs and small business through its network of 10 regional offices located throughout the state.

When it comes to navigating all things cyber, the Indiana SBDC, in partnership with the Global Cyber Alliance, offers the GCA Cybersecurity Toolkit featuring a wealth of critical resources designed to protect a small business. Best of all, the free-to-download toolkit is intended to serve as a resource for small business owners as they improve their security. It allows you to select from a variety of tools that best fit you and your business’ needs, that includes:

• Know What You Have
• Update Your Defenses
• Beyond Simple Passwords
• Prevent Phishing and Malware
• Backup and Recovery
• Protect Your Email and Reputation

At times, opening and operating a small business can leave you feeling as though you’re a world-class sprinter, who’s focused on always making sure that whatever you’re doing is achieved with the utmost speed ahead of your competitors. Other times, protecting your company’s critical systems and customer data requires a more measured approach, not unlike the front runners you’d see at the Boston Marathon or the 500 Festival Mini-Marathon.

The reality is, it’s both a 100-yard dash – that requires being responsive without overreacting. At other times, practicing good cyber hygiene and utilizing the latest tools for managing your cybersecurity is a race that’s won through endurance and playing the long game with discipline and focus, so as to achieve the long-term goals of growing your small business!

If you own or operate a small business, be sure to visit the Indiana SBDC website to learn more about its resources and programs. In addition to its cybersecurity, there are programs involving agribusiness, as well as one that provides guidance for developing an export business plan, another for technical assistance, along with a manufacturing initiative.